Archive for: ‘September 2016’

TRADR Technology Day, November 4th,Dortmund, Germany

22 September, 2016 Posted by tradr_admin

On behalf of the consortium of the European project TRADR (Long-Term Human-Robot Teaming for Robot Assisted Disaster Response) we are pleased to announce that we will be hosting a TRADR Technology Day organized by the Dortmund Fire Department.

Date:       04. November 2016

Time:       9:30 to 16:00

Venue:    Power Plant Knepper, Langenacker, 44357 Dortmund, Germany

Topics:   Robotics and AI technology use in disaster response: research, system development and practial experience

TRADR develops technology for human-robot teams to assist in disaster response efforts over multiple missions.
In this way, TRADR also enables the users to actively experience this technology and to become aware of its potential and current limitations, to in the end facilitate its uptake.

During the day we show the project achievements and share insights gained so far, including the experience from the TRADR deployment in Amatrice, Italy, shortly after the earthquake, and discuss future developments. The day is intended for a broad range of stakeholders including industry developing technology for robot-assisted disaster response and similar applications as well as the users of the technology such as rescuers and other responders.

Here you will find detailed information on the agenda and the location

If you are interested in participating or if you have further questions, please send an email to: industryday2016@dfki.de.

We thank you for your interest and look forward to welcoming you on November 4th.

Invited talk at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Sept. 15

15 September, 2016 Posted by tradr_admin

On Sep 15 Tomas Svoboda from the Czech Technical University in Prague gave an invited talk about robot-assisted disaster response at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT).

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) is a Foundation and financed by the State to conduct scientific research in the public interest, for the purpose of technological development.

T. Svoboda is Research Fellow and Assistant Professor at the Czech Technical University, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Department of Cybernetics since 2003.

 

 

 

 

Presentation at CTIF Delegates Assembly & Symposium, Sep 8-9 2016 in Helsinki

10 September, 2016 Posted by tradr_admin

160909-helsinki-ctif_titlepageivanactif2016

On Sep 9 2016 the TRADR coordinator I. Kruijff-Korbayova gave an invited talk about robot-assisted disaster response in Helsinki at the Delegates Assembly & Symposium of CTIF, the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services.  CTIF was founded in 1999 as an international professional firebrigade competency network for encouraging and promoting co-operation among fire fighters and other experts in fire and rescue. It has members from 36 countries around the world.  Its work is organized by commissions which set up working groups on specific themes.

I. Kruijff-Korbayova is a member of the CTIF commission on Extrication and New Technology, which she has been invited to join after her invited talk at the International Conference of CTIF  on December 9 2015 at the Italian Firebrigade Academy (Istituto Superiore Anticendi, ISA) in Rome (see an earlier post). The commission for Extrication and New Technology was established in 2013 to work on standards in order to be able to harmonise information and training for the rescue services.

The presentation was part of the CTIF Symposium on”Responding to the Unexpected” and featured the results of the NIFTi and TRADR projects, including the recent success of the TRADR deployment in Amatrice, Italy, destroyed by a devastating earthquake on August 24 2016. The presentation was met with great resonance from the representatives of fire and rescue services, and many expressed interest to further explore the use of robots to support disaster response. TRADR will continue to strengthen the collaboration with these organizations.

TRADR successfully deployed robot technology for disaster response in Amatrice

1 September, 2016 Posted by tradr_admin

On Thursday September 1 2016 a team of the TRADR project deployed two ground robots and three drones in Amatrice, Italy, to assist the post-earthquake response. The team was asked by the Italian Vigili del Fuoco (VVFF), represented by Emanuele Gissi, to provide 3D textured models of two churches: San Francesco and Sant’Agostino, both in a state of partial collapse, in need of shoring to prevent potential further destruction and to preserve the national heritage.

UGV inside SF

UGV in San Francesco church, aerial view by the UAV that also entered.

inside SF

View taken by the UAV inside the San Francesco church

We entered San Francesco with two UGVs (operated by Vlada Kubelka and Mario Gianni, who were supported by Erik Zimmermann and Luigi Freda, respectively), teleoperating them entirely out of line of sight, and partially in collaboration: one UGV provided a view of the other one to enable maneuvering in very constrained space with low connection bandwidth.

inside SA

View taken by the UAV inside the Sant Agostino church

UAVenteringSF

UAV entering the Sant Agostino church (red circle). Two other UAVs provide a view for maneuvering (one in yellow circle, the other providing the image).

Several flights were carried out on the outside and one flight inside of each church. Entering with the drone was a tough challenge, which we managed thanks to a collaboration between three drones operated in parallel: while one drone (piloted by Hartmut Surmann who was supported by Erik Zimmermann) was entering through a hole in the roof the other two (piloted by Kresimir Dilic and Wolfgang Rottner) were providing simultaneous video feed from different angles. The mission fulfilled its goal to collect data for the construction of high quality textured 3D models. Additional great success was the fact that the TRADR team was able to arrive and deploy at the location within 48 hours from receiving the request. The VVFF has expressed high appreciation to the TRADR project for the success of the mission and the smooth operation.

amatrice_after

The main street of Amatrice after the earthquake, state on Friday Sep1 2016.

TRADR_Amatrice_deployment_team

TRADR team in Amatrice (left-to-right): Erik Zimmermann; Wolfgang Rottner; Hartmut Surmann; Ivana Kruijff-Korbayová; Emanuele Gissi;VdF fire fighter; policeman Luigi Ugliano; Mario Gianni; Kneeling: Krešimir Dilic; Václav Hlaváč; Luigi Freda; Valsamis Ntouskos; Vladimír Kubelka.

 

Browsable versions of the 3D models of the interior and exterior of both San Francesco and Sant’Agostino churches generated from the data collected during the deployment in Amatrice can be accessed here.

A short paper about the deployment has been published at the International Symposium on Safety,  Security and Rescue Robotics, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland, Oct 23-27 2016.

TRADR media announcements about the Amatrice deployment:

News/Articles in specialized media:

  • Article in computer-automation, Sept 9 2016 (in German)
  • Article on RoboHub, Sept 8 2016 (in English)
  • Unmanned Systems News, Sept 6 2016 (in English)
  • Article in idw-online, Sept 5 2016 (in German)

General news coverage, see for example:

The news of deployment was reported by Reuters, although without reference to the TRADR project. Many other media took this announcement and video over. In Germnay, for example: Frankfurter Allgemeine, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, n24, Die Zeit, Stern, MSN.

See more links to press coverage here.